Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States. The causative agent of Lyme disease, can alter gene expression to enable survival in a diverse set of conditions, including the tick midgut and the mammalian...

In order to provide an improved in vitro model with which to investigate human diseases, such as cancer that may be promoted by toxicant exposure, we have characterized a newly developed cell line derived from the renal proximal tubule epithelial...

HIFU is the upcoming technology for noninvasive or minimally invasive tumor ablation via the localized acoustic energy deposition at the focal region within the tumor target. The presence of cavitation bubbles had been shown to improve the...

The stress response is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism critical for survival that requires orchestration of different systems in the body. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN)...

Inflammation is a driving force behind various lethal pathological conditions, including atherosclerosis and cancer metastasis. Inflammatory mediators are keys that unlock the immune response via triggering interactions of leukocytes and vascular...

During the critical period of CNS development, dendritic architecture is shaped, in part, by activity-dependent stabilization and elimination of branches. This restructuring is partly dependent on the subunit composition of glutamate receptors in a...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a Gram-positive bacterium which poses a substantial threat to public health due to its high virulence and multi-drug resistance. Membrane vesicles (MVs) are naturally-derived nanoparticles which...

In the United States, children that require mental health supports will most likely receive them in their school. However, there is a serious discrepancy between youth that require and those that receive psychological supports in public schools....

Background: Because immigration is a stressful life event accompanied by acculturation pressure in a new country, it inevitably influences the mental health of immigrants.
Thus, the goal of this dissertation is to investigate the mental health...